Friday, 6 March 2015

5:2 diet - what I eat

I have been following the 5:2 diet for 6 weeks now and lost 9 lbs altogether which I am really pleased with. As a food blogger, I eat out A LOT. The 5:2 diet is perfect for people like me who love their food as it means I never have to say no to anything. I am happy to have finally found a lifestyle choice that works for me and fits into my life.

The basics of the 5:2 diet are that you eat 'normally' for 5 days of the week and don't count calories but for 2 days of the week you restrict your diet to just 500 kcals. At first I found this fairly challenging but after doing some research and discovering that there are lots of interesting and varied salad recipes out there, I have gradually found it a lot easier. I will generally enjoy a 200 kcal meal for lunch (salad or soup) and then a 300 kcal meal for dinner (salad, soup or a small jacket potato).

Restricting your calorie intake doesn't mean you have to be boring with your food choices. Today I thought I would share one of my favourite salad recipes.

Duck and Orange Salad

Serves 4 - 350 kcals per serving

Ingredients

2 small duck breasts

4 tangerines, peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic glove, finely chopped

1 bag of Florette salad (I like Lambs lettuce and Ruby Chard)

90g seeded baguette torn into small pieces

For the rub

1/2 tsp pink peppercorns

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

For the dressing

Juice of 2 tangerines

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp runny honey

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1 - Grind the peppercorns and nutmeg together in a pestle and mortar to make the rub and then press the spices onto the duck breasts until they are covered.

2 - To render the fat from the duck, put the breasts skin side down into a cold pan and bring up to a medium heat. Fry for approximately 8 minutes on either side (longer if you prefer your duck to be well done).

3 - Whilst the duck is cooking, break the tangerines into segments and put to one side. To make the dressing boil the tangerine juice for 5 minutes then add the other ingredients and stir well. (Don't be alarmed that there isn't much dressing - a little goes a long way)

4 - When the duck is done, remove from the pan and wrap in foil as it rests. Discard the duck fat from the pan and add the pieces of bread with a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes and then add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

5 - Remove the duck from the foil and season. Cut into slim slices and toss with the salad leaves and warm dressing in a big bowl. Add the tangerine slices and garlic croutons and divide between 4 plates. Serve warm.

Salad's don't have to be boring! This is definitely one of my favourite low calorie dinner recipes.

I adore Duck and Orange, they're a taste sensation and well done on the 9lb, that's a dress size and the point where you can start to see the weight loss yourself, I tell myself every 9lb is a dress size and then panic, I'm totally going to have to buy new clothes at the next 9lb milestone because the last time I was that size I was at school!